October 2012

October 31, 2012

There's not much commentary that I can come up with that would adequately describe the absolute horror at this scene from New York's South Ferry station. If I am understanding the video right, the South Ferry station is underwater (as indicated by the escalators that are completely submerged) where the Whitehall station has 'just' a stream of water cascading down the stairs into the station itself.

The common joke about the submerged subway lines that at least the subway won't smell like urine now.... sure. But now it'll smell like sewage. That's not a step up. Blech.

After growing up in Wisconsin and facing blinding blizzards and the annual threat of tornados; after being trapped on the 41st floor of a high rise near the Bay in the big earthquake in San Francisco in 1989; after getting through blackouts, blizzards, transit strikes and the non-event of Irene here in New York over the past few years, I found myself surprisingly calm(ish) about Sandy although cautious. Well, until a friend from Fort Lauderdale freaked me out with a laundry list of potential consequences (such as "18 million without power for 2 weeks!" yikes!)

So, I panic bought and then I hunkered down in my apartment on W. 102nd feeling fairly safe with the knowledge that I'm in a fourth floor apartment in the middle of a block in the middle of the island that's the equivalent of about four or five stories about sea level (at street level). Living on a big piece of granite uptown has it's advantages.

But when my windows rattled and the building shook ever so slightly (I was transfixed at one point at the dangling chain from a lamp that was swaying back and forth) I was quietly freaking out.. but thank God for alcohol (beer, vodka, Jack Daniels), homemade soup and endless amounts of comfort/junk food.. and Facebook. I have to admit I spent most of the storm - from the mid afternoon til midnight - alternately making #DanglingCrane jokes (I'm shocked that it's not simply a routine thing to lower cranes on skyscrapers during such a violent - and predicted- storm) and fearing that my building was about to topple over.

Thankfully there was some emotional relief. Thanks to whomever was behind the Twitter feed, AHurricaneSandy I laughed out loud at his comments throughout the evening. Whenever I'd be truly scared by a sway this way or that, I would simply click on my Twitter and be overcome by uncontrollable laughter (which is better than peeing in my pants wondering if the building was going to topple over or my windows were going to blow out).

I was also amused with Mayor Bloomberg's attempt to speak Spanish (comedy gold, folks) but looked forward to his press conferences because of the awesomest sign language interpreter ever, Lydia Callis. I fully expect SNl's newest star, Kate McKinnon, to make it a priority to give us her take on Callis on the next new show (whenever that is).

On Tuesday I, like many people, ventured outside - my neighborhood was surprisingly intact. A few
branches down and a tree toppled over here and there, but essentially OK. It helped make me feel more normal when I saw the line snaking out of Silver Moon bakery.. it was like any other day, really.

Still, on Wednesday, the streets downtown are still flooded, the power is off in half of Manhattan, the subways closed (although Cuomo just announced that they are going to start testing the subways tonight), and oh my God the devastation in Queens, Staten Island and along the Jersey Shore is just unbelievable but given how few deaths there have been, I can't help but be optimistic. I don't mean to be glib or ignorant of the consequences of this very real disaster, but in an area of over 12 million people, that there have been so few casulties, is nothing short of an actual miracle. Although, the story of the two boys that were washed away on Staten Island is the most heartbreaking thing I've heard.

And there's a little bit of blue sky too. That doesn't make everything right, but it sure doesn't hurt.

For those of you outside of the east coast, if you're able to donate to the Red Cross for disaster relief, I'd sure appreciate it. :) And please, if you go to a Mitt Romney 'rally', please don't bring canned goods, just buy a bottle of vodka and send directly to me on W. 102nd Street. I'm running low. :)

October 25, 2012

TONIGHT Thursday October 25th, I welcome four amazing performers from the annual
Bearapalooza (held November 10th and 11th here in New
York City): Rev. Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes, Bone Intell, Max Christopher and
Bearapalooza founder, Freddy Freeman (who’s music can be heard on the BEAR CITY
2 soundtrack).

10
years ago, singer-songwriter Freddy Freeman put together a concert of musicians
and performers of the Bear community, and called it Bearapalooza.

Since
that first show in New York City, 2002, Bearapalooza has traveled around the
USA , touching the lives of countless musicians and music fans, bringing a
special sense of diversity and pride wherever it goes, and has grown into a
national musical celebration of ursine brotherhood.

Founder
Freddy Freeman says" Bearapalooza has something to offer everyone whether
you are a bear or not, because we celebrate diversity, positive body image, and
positive attitudes about gender. Plus the music is top notch quality work by
amazing artists crossing all genre lines. "I am proud to once again be
showcasing these talented artists and celebrating this diverse community.

Bearapalooza
celebrates it’s 10th anniversary in NYC on November 10th
and 11th.

Rev.
Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes is a singer/songwriter/drag performer and
Interfaith Minister who's work as an Artist and Sacred Activist has earned him
a place in The GLBT Hall Of Fame. He has been called: " The Alien Love
Child of Louise Hay and John Waters, with a splash of Tammy Faye ! "

Rev.
Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes (RoYo) is an eccentric, and ecstatic performer with
a southern rock, country gospel style. He brings his message of Non Duality
into every event by merging GLBT and Mainstream Popular Culture with Integrated
Spirituality. With a soulful voice, a message of oneness, great costumes, and a
wicked sense of humor, his shows and CDs emphasize love, beautiful melodies,
interesting stories, and a bit of inspiration.

Freddy Freeman has always been
drawn to express himself through music. In his teens he began writing songs and
learned to play piano and guitar. It wasn't until his early 30's that he began
to put himself out into the world as a songwriter.

His journey has been a study
in the meaning of identity, expressing himself first through a blossoming LGBT
music scene in NYC in 2001, he quickly took on the role of organizer of various
GLBT music events and playing Pride festivals, and was nominated three times
for Outmusician of the year.

In 2002 he created
Bearapalooza, a music event for performers who identify with the gay subculture
known as "Bears". Through Bearapalooza, he explored issues of body
image, masculinity and gender expression. During this time he did a lot of gigs
around NY and recorded his debut album "Break the Silence". Break the
Silence was described as an album that knows no genre. It blends all his
influences into a rich stew of American Popular Music. Break The Silence
showcases the versatility and talent of a unique singer/songwriter. With songs
about the complexity of relationships, the excitement of being young and out on
the town, a nostalgic tribute to his hometown, letting go, and standing up to
proclaim self worth, Break The Silence takes you along on one man’s journey of
self-discovery.

The journey continues today
as Freddy embarks on a new journey beyond his past concepts of identity. His
discovery of a new spiritual path of truth has led him to create new music with
themes of Forgiveness, Love, Spirit, Gratitude and Divinity. Freddy is also a
member of the community at Easton Mountain retreat, where he works at the front
desk, and has his own Audio Production company called Ear 2 the Ground Audio.
He has produced albums and remixes for Charles K. Brown, Roger Mapes, Kendall,
Ron Morris, and more!!

About The Will Clark Show

Will Clark produces and hosts a weekly fundraising event benefiting New
York based non profits with four rounds of Bingo, celebrity guest callers and
fabulous prizes! Part game show,
part talk show and all fundraiser!

Now in it¹s 8th year, The Will Clark Show featuring P*rno Bingo has
raised well over $200,000 for New York LGBT charities and will celebrate it's 400th show on Thursday December 13th, 2012

The Will Clark Show feat. P*rno Bingo runs from 7pm to 9pm at The Ritz
and is New York City’s only happy hour show!

The
Ritz is located at 369 W. 46th Street near Ninth Ave on Restaurant
Row.

October 24, 2012

Well, all, I know, I know, it's been a few months since the party was held on Sunday July 8th, but you know, everyone on board gets their pics posted within 24 hours (and these days, some post while they're on the boat!). So I figured, it might be kind of cool to wait awhile - that way as the nights are getting cooler, you can flip through the gallery and uhm warm yourself UP!

Thanks to our six hot gay porn studs, Michael Brandon, Rafael Alencar, Lance Navarro, Scott Spears, Collin Stone and legendary performer, Spike for donating their time and sexual energy to perform at this annual fundraiser for Braking the Cycle. :) I have to say, that was a pretty amazing experience and the guys' performance was stellar. Everyone really brought the sexy back to the boat and I appreciated how awesome everyone was! Thanks too to Christopher from the Saint at Large parties who came on board to launch the performance part of the night.

Thanks also to Imperial Court Empress Witti Repartee for coming on board and having some fun - when the lights went out and the microphones ceased to work, it was great to have a co-emcee who could roll with it all .. and project! LOL :) As I type that, I remember, God, how fucking hot was it down on the lower level.. like a sauna! At the time I thought I would never be cool again, but now as I sit here wearing a light sweater, it's almost hard to remember how much I was sweating. Almost. :)

Then of course there's Barbara who helps keep me sane every year, AB our photographer who shot the event for me and our fabulous DJ, Jonny Mack who kept everyone in good spirits. You know, when it's a million degrees and everyone is uncomfortable (and you're on a boat and can't leave) you really need a fantastic DJ.

It started out innocently enough, singer (and former Braking the Cycle rider) Terry Christopher, on Facebook, passed along a link to a fundraising page created by a friend of Braking the Cycle rider Kyle Spidle, who passed away, unexpectedly, a few weeks ago at the age of 32. Friends were organizing donations to help Kyle's family with his final expenses. Coincidentally, just a day before, a beneficiary for the October 18th show pulled out and I was looking at scrambling for the night.

Naturally this is a case of "there are no coincidences". Within a couple days I gotten in touch with Kyle's business partner, a lovely woman named Corinne who helped me organize talent that knew Kyle. I am grateful for this. As I wasn't close to Kyle, I didn't know who he liked and who knew him. And within a couple days after that, I had booked Gusty Winds and Emily McNamara, both friends of his and both amazing, awesome incredible talents.

Emily did a kick ass cover of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and then helped Gusty as she donned a ripped black trash bag to use as a cape and grabbed a broom and lip synced to "Defying Gravity" giving one of the most compelling performances I've ever seen her do (and that is saying something my friends). (I have video of both performances, but it came out dark... so not sure if I'm going to be able to post it.. what do you think?)

Throughout the evening, Terry and his team sold amazing amounts of Bingo cards and, even more amazing, various people, some strangers, simply made donations to help out. And then I auctioned off a FleshJack and two tickets to an event next Tuesday, Freedom to Love. That package went for $200.

As you know, I have been producing and emceeing this event every week for nearly 8 years. I am no stranger to fundraising - I raised hundreds of thousands of dollars at various events in California when I lived there before moving home to New Hork.... and the generosity that we as a human community are capable of at times takes my breath away. And last Thursday night, I was breathless.

Thanks to everyone who came out and particularly Terry for making an incredible effort to help us promote. And also, thanks Terry for bringing so many awesome cosmetic-type products; what a great addition to our usual prizes of xxx flicks, ID Lube, various music, Damron guides, Equinox passes and soap and shaving cream from San Francisco's Nancy Boy.

On Coming Out Day, Thursday October 11th, The Will Clark Show welcomed New York's cheerleading org, Cheer New York as our beneficiary and BEAR CITY 2 star Joe Conti and up and coming porn star Collin Stone as my guests.

Thanks to Joe for giving an incredible performance and if BEAR CITY 2 hasn't shown up in your city yet, request it or just wait for the DVD (they are expecting a Thanksgiving release).

Meanwhile, Joe is touring Europe with the Bear City 2 flick and Collin is out in LA this week and appearing at "Cocktails with the Stars" hosted by Scott Boardman at Micky's TONIGHT, Wednesday October 24th 7 to 10pm. Collin is appearing with his Southern Decadence and High Performance Men co-star Caleb Colton (they also star in Channel 1 Releasing's newest, "Fucked By Our Dads"). A special thanks to Channel 1 for donating Collin's videos for our Bingo night!

As you know from yesterday's blog, I spent a good deal of yesterday morning on the phone with Adobe, trying to get some customer service help. Thankfully yesterday I got an email from one of their higher ups who vowed to try to help me sort out the complex problem I'm having. (yay to the power of social media) It didn't start out complex, but, as with many big corporations, it sort of spirals out of control when you involve various customer service people from a variety of departments spread around the world. Unfortunately it's just the way of the world these days. I have to accept it as a way of life... but I don't have to like it.

I also don't have to like the Presidential campaign. I got tired of this election like back in 2010 so you can imagine how 'over it' I am now. Thankfully, it's just two weeks from yesterday. I've known who I was going to vote for, well, since 2008 so I'm good to go.

And, in my opinion, anyone who claims to be 'undecided' is either a moron or lying. (Hint: if this is you, just claim that you were lying, you won't come off looking quite as bad).

If you're a gay man and voting for Romney/Ryan, you are not, as you claim, more than a one issue voter, you are, just a self-loathing homosexual.

Let's be honest here, neither candidate (nor anyone else on Earth other than maybe Paul Krugman) has any real idea how to fix the economy (America's or the world's); and Paul Krugman aside, it's all a crapshoot.

So I go, instead, to social issues. And there, Romney/Ryan #fail miserably. MISERABLY. And they ain't so great on foreign policy either. Someone really needs to buy Mr. Romney a map so he understands the geography of the Middle East and a calendar, so he knows what year it is. (Hint: it's not the 20s, the 50s or the 70s). Might I suggest COLT?

October 23, 2012

Good morning peeps- or what's left of it. I just spent the better part of two hours trying to find an actual human being at Adobe to cancel a subscription for an Adobe product who 1. picks up the phone 2. can cancel a subscription (which you'd think would be a no brainer once you choose the 'cancel subscription' option on the keypad 3. speaks/understands English (I'll take either at this point) and 4. isn't a complete moron. On the upside, thanks to the 'speaker' feature on my cell phone, I got a lot of housework done.

Anyway, last night I passed by a bus shelter with the poster for the new James Bond movie, SKYFALL. Maybe I'm just horny (it's been a couple months since I got laid) but am I the only one who looks at this poster and thinks Daniel Craig is about to get fucked and that the gun should be, instead, a bottle of lube? I'd photoshop that but ironically I'd have to use an Adobe product to do so.

But maybe it's not just me. Maybe the whole world has gone all sexual. I mean, I went by the frozen yougurt store, Sixteen Handles and saw something about a 'fist pumpkin'. You know where my mind went. Maybe it's partially because of the "now handling" blurb.

Bingo on Thursday night will feature four awesome singers who'll be raising funds for November's annual "Bearapalooza" event. More on this tomorrow. Til then, it's time for me to get out of the apartment and do anything but be on hold!

October 22, 2012

As we get into the final two weeks before the election, everyone's feeling the burn of worry about the outcome. Tonight's final Presidential debate ought to be good but I've got a show to go to and then will be heading over to Pieces' new midtown bar, Hardware. I was in the venue just a little over a week ago and it's really been gorgeously created. And they've got a full slate of entertainment all ready to go courtesy of entertainment director, Shequida. Yes, THAT Shequida. Girl is getting respectable (wink) :)

Anyway, today is the first anniversary of the first wedding that I worked on as an event manager. For those of you who dont know, for the past year, I've been working in the wedding industry specializing in same sex ceremonies. I've assisted, planned, managed and officiated at a dozen weddings in the past 12 months. And two more on the way before the end of the year. And although creating this work from scratch has been as tough as it is for anyone starting out in a new field, it's been worth it. To be able to join two people in love, well, it's an incredible honor so far and look forward to many more opportunities in the next year. :)

For those in Washington state (as well as in Minnesota, Maine and Maryland) November 6th will not only be about the President, but about deciding if their state will get Marriage Equality. As usual, there is fierce debate in all of these places and thankfully those of us in the LGBT community don't have to fight this alone. Our straight allies are joining in. In the video below, Daniel Hanks shows his naked support for this cause as he traipses all over Seattle.

You don't have to go to such lengths of course but if you live there, make sure everyone you know knows how to vote FOR Marriage Equality - I'm convinced that many times when we have to vote "no" to vote FOR something, people get confused and the message gets lost.

If you are unemployed or underemployed or retired and have time on your hands, please consider joining the 20 Million More phone bank. Marriage Equality has been working their butts off to get the word out.

If you are working and unable to contribute your time, consider making a tax deductible contribution. :)

Drop me a note at willclarkworld at gmail dot com if you want to find out more about hiring me as an officiant and/or wedding planner for your upcoming nuptials. (And yes, in case you're wondering, I officiate in a suit. LOL I'm happy to officiate in assless chaps, but that will be extra!) <wink>

October 19, 2012

I'm just back from the gym and heading out for the rest of the day for a day job work-thing (in addition to being a wedding planner, an event planner, writer, officiant and emcee, I now am selling furniture..
woo hoo!) but wanted to dash a note to everyone before I left about last night at The Will Clark Show at the Ritz.

Gusty Winds, on her Facebook page just after last night's event commented that we can judge a man by the company he keeps, referring to all of Kyle's marvelous friends who came out to celebrate his life and raise $1100 for his family's final expenses. I couldn't agree more. So many wonderful people came out and that's all to the combined efforts of singer Terry Christopher, Kyle's business partner Corinne, Joseph Miceli-Magnone who sits on the board of Housing Works (Kyle rode in the Braking the Cycle ride that benefits Housing Works), Blake Strasser who is the rider liaison for Braking the Cycle, Kyle's best friend David and of course many many many others.

But it was up to my guests, Gusty Winds and singer Emily McNamara (who just got cast in the off Broadway smash, NEWSICAL) to make the party happen - walking a fine line between honoring Kyle and keeping spirits up. Both Gusty and Emily were friends of Kyle's and each dedicated their numbers to him - Emily doing a kick ass "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (yes many of us were singing the back up part .... "turrrrrn around!") and Gusty lip syncing 'Defying Gravity' in a way that charmed and amazed an entire room (picture her with a ratty broom and a torn up black plastic trash bag as a cape, sweeping across the floor of the Ritz, going up the back stairs that lead to the back patio and commanding the entire room..all of us jumped to our feet with the first standing O we've had at the Ritz... yeah, it was fucking spectacular).

And in the end, we needed $1300 to complete the expenses but "only" made it to $1100... and then this morning a couple of anonymous donors contributed that 'missing' $200. Sometimes these things just have a way of working out.

It's always an honor to be able to be of service to the community but once in awhile, like last night, there is a little something extra that makes it even just that much more worthwhile.

Pictures will be forthcoming by Monday after an intense work weekend. :)